30 years waiting period: The route to Gymkhana Club membership is a long, winding one

Historically it has been rather difficult to get inside Delhi Gymkhana Club’s coveted circle. To top it off, the club had launched its controversial ‘green card’ system, under which preference was given to the adult dependents of existing members. This closed the doors for practically every outsider. 

According to multiple media reports, the waiting period for a membership in the Gymkhana Club is around 30 years. 

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Moreover, only about 100 memberships are opened every year to fill up for resignations and deaths, said a report in NDTV. It has around 1,200-1,400 members. The route to a membership to the club is a treacherous one. 

It follows the 40-40-20 rule, meaning 40 per cent of the memberships went to civil servants, 40 per cent to defence services, and 20 per cent to others. The chances of outsiders becoming members is snuffed out by the green card system. Most of its members are high-ranking bureaucrats, diplomats, judges, politicians, industrialists, military chiefs, and old business families. 

The club has the most grass tennis courts in the country – 26 in total – as well as seven clay courts, three squash courts,  badminton courts, a billiards room and a covered swimming pool. There are also three lounge bars and 43 resident cottages.

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So, while the moneyed do land up there, money is no guarantee for a membership. You will need the network and the influence to make it to the lounge. 

The Gymkhana Club has stood the test of time, but the current eviction notice by the government might be a big blow. The club was founded in 1913 as a socialising area for British colonial officers. The word ‘imperial’ was removed from the name of the club, but Gymkhana Club’s culture and traditions exposes the fact that not much might have changed.